Ham and Cheese Pinwheel Appetizers (using store bought puff pastry!)

The classic combination of ham and cheese, rolled inside puff pastry with a little honey mustard. This has become my go-to quick appetizer for the holidays, or even just a snack while we watch football. You can dress them up or down, and there’s a ton of options to customize this recipe.

Baked Pinwheel Recipe

Everybody has had pinwheels at some point in their life. For me, it was my grandma that first introduced me to them. She’d make them with tortillas, blueberry cream cheese, turkey and Swiss. Something about the sweet and savory combination made it taste so good! I used that as the inspiration for these baked pinwheels. I wanted them to be a little elevated, and something a little more gourmet than a traditional pinwheel.

Ingredients

We use puff pastry, a sweet honey mustard mixture, gruyere cheese, and thin sliced ham. Roll it up, and in 20 minutes, you have an easy, just-impressive-enough appetizer for any occasion. 

Assembling Baked Pinwheels

For this recipe, we’re using store-bought puff pastry dough (I purchased mine at Trader Joes). Allow it to sit on the counter for about an hour before putting this together. Puff pastry needs to thaw naturally, you can’t microwave it or try to speed up the thawing process, so just. keep this in mind when you make these.

MAKE AHEAD: If you need to plan ahead of time, place the puff pastry in the refrigerator a day before making the pinwheels so the dough is ready to go.

Unroll the puff pastry,  add a thin layer of honey mustard (I’ll go into specifics below!), then add shredded gruyere, and a few thin layers of ham.

Rolling Pinwheels

Most puff pastry dough comes frozen in parchment paper, which makes rolling these a breeze. If the pinwheel dough you’re using doesn’t come in parchment paper, simply place it on a piece of fresh parchment paper, it makes rolling these so much easier!

Tightly roll the pinwheels, pinching the insides as you go to create a tight roll. Next, slice them into 3/4 inch slices, and place them on a parchment paper lined sheet pan. Make sure to use a sharp knife for a clean cut. I do recommend ‘pinching’ the dough on the seams so it stays put, and bakes up in a perfect pinwheel shape.

TIP: The cheese gets melty and won’t stick to parchment, so I caution against using foil for that reason. 

Ham & Cheese Puffed Pastry Pinwheels

Before baking, Brush the pinwheels with a little egg wash to get them a nice shiny finish, and bake them for about 15 minutes, or until they’re golden brown. 

Final Presentation! Once they’re baked, I like to drizzle some honey on them for a little extra sweetness. I also sprinkle them with some fresh rosemary for color and flavor (thyme would also work great). 

Recipe Variations, Serving & Storing Tips

For the best pinwheels, here’s a few tips and tricks! 

• Make sure the puff pastry is thawed. It can still be cool, but don’t try to unroll frozen dough. It will break apart.
• Shred your own cheese. This makes a huge difference in the flavor. I like using my own shredded cheese versus slices because it infuses the puff pastry better. It has more of a rustic, restaurant quality appeal and melts must better.
• Don’t skip brushing these with egg wash! Puff pastry can get a little dry and the egg wash makes it golden perfection.
• Pinch the tail end of the pinwheel dough so that it connects and bakes up in a circle (to prevent the pinwheels from spreading).

Other Pinwheel Ideas

This recipe is super customizable and you can use a pretty wide variety of ingredients in pinwheels. Here’s a few more ideas!

• Instead of honey mustard, try fig jam for a touch of sweetness. 
• Add some fresh herbs inside the pinwheels for added flavor. Thyme, sage, rosemary, or parsley.
• Switch up the gruyere and ham for different meats and cheeses. Here’s some ideas:
  • Smoked gouda with turkey.
  • BBQ sauce with shredded chicken.
  • Prosciutto and brie with cranberry sauce.

More Easy Appetizer Recipes

If you need easy appetizers, here’s our favorites!

• Lasagna Cups
• Marinated Cheese
• Asparagus Tart with Puff Pastry 
• Taco Braid 
• Broccoli Cheddar Pinwheels
• Party Pinwheels
• Taco Pinwheels

Did you make this recipe? We want to see it! Post a pic and tag us @laughingspatula!

Ham and Cheese Pinwheels

An easy recipe perfect for appetizers, parties, and more. Less than 30 minutes from none to done!

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 pinwheels

Author: Kathi & Rachel

Equipment

• 13x18 sheet pan
• parchment paper

Ingredients

• 1 sheet puff pastry dough (thawed)
• 6 slices deli ham
• 1 cup gruyere (shredded)

Honey Mustard

• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp granulated garlic
• pinch salt & pepper

Egg Wash

• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp whole milk

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
• Mix together honey mustard mixture in a small bowl and set aside.

  In a separate bowl, mix together egg wash and set aside.
• Place 1 piece of parchment paper on cutting board. Unroll puff pastry dough. Spread honey mustard mixture, followed by shredded cheese, and then lay ham slices down.
• Tightly roll the puff pastry dough, using the parchment paper to hold it tightly. Pinch seams when finished.
• Using a sharp knife, cut pinwheels into 3/4 inch slices. Place pinwheels on parchment paper lined sheet pan.
• Brush pinwheels with egg wash. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 210kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 329mg | Potassium: 75mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 128IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 120mg | Iron: 1mg